


Soul Food

by wondercole



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:33:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28776114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wondercole/pseuds/wondercole
Summary: Benny teaches Dean how to make gumbo
Relationships: Dean x Benny Word Count: 1450 A/N: Thanks to @deanbennyforthewin for the idea! I expanded on their
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Soul Food

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to @deanbennyforthewin for the idea! I expanded on their HC of Benny teaching Dean to cook. This is a legit recipe for gumbo if you feel so inclined. I’m Cajun born and raised so if you have a question, just ask it. I’m using this for my fluff square for @anyfandomgoesbingo!

Of course Benny loves to cook. He’s a Cajun after all. Cooking and food are ways of life down in Louisiana. You just learn to roll with it. When he moved in with Dean, he started cooking a lot of traditionally Cajun dishes like jambalaya, gumbo, and crawfish etouffee. Dean loved every single bite of the flavorful foods, even if Benny held back on some of the heat for him. 

“Benny, you have got to teach me to cook this.” Dean finished his first bowl of gumbo then headed to plate a second. 

“‘Is not that hard, Cher. I’ll even show you how to make a roux.”

“A what?” Dean had never heard of a “roo” before.

“A roux. Issa fried flour basically.” Benny sat to eat his gumbo, sprinkling a little cayenne pepper on his bowl before taking a bite.

“So next time you make this, I’m helping.”

“A’ight Dean. Sure thing.” The two finished their gumbo and cleaned up, neither one forgetting the promises made and both making plans for their next gumbo.

*

A few weeks later, a cold front moved through, dropping the temps low enough to need the fireplace and heaters running. Benny dragged Dean to the supermarket, intent on picking up the ingredients to make a gumbo.

“We gon’ need onions, bell pepper, and celery. And a bulb a gahlic.” Benny’s accent was thick and drew some stares from some of the local shoppers. He was used to the attention. Cajun accents weren’t the norm anywhere north of Alexandria. Even when he was in Shreveport, it was a different sound.

“Okay, got it. What’s next?” Dean was pushing the cart as Benny rattled off the list he had in his head. It was always the same. 

“Well, I don’ make dat okra gumbo so we need some flour and some cooking oil.” They grabbed those items and headed over to the spices. “We need paprika, cayenne, salt, black pepper, gahlic powder, onion powder, bay leaf, and parsley.” 

“That sounds like a lot. And why onion and garlic powder? Aren’t we putting actual onions and garlic in there?”

“Trus’ me, Dean. It’s necessary. You’ll see.”

“Whatever you say, man. You’re the expert,” Dean said with his hands up in surrender. He didn’t want to challenge Benny’s expertise, especially not when the man cooked so well and was teaching Dean his recipe.

“Now we get the chicken and sausage. That should be it after.”

Dean came back with a package of kielbasa and Benny just looked at him. “Dean, das not sausage.” 

“What? Yes it is.”

“No. Jus...follow me.” Benny led the way to the refrigerated sausages, making a face at the lack of selection. “You need a good smoked sausage for the flavor, and any kind of heat dat’s in the sausage will transfer as well.” He picked up a smoked mixed sausage and held the package up for Dean to see. “‘Is not as good as home, but it’ll do.”

“Alright, let’s get home so I can start this.”

*

As soon as the bags were unloaded, Benny put Dean to work. 

“Now whatcha gonna do is make da roux firs’. So get dat cast iron skillet and start it heating. Add a cup o’ oil and let that heat up.”

Dean did as he was told, grabbing beers out of the fridge for both of them after he got the oi heating.

“Da oil is hot enough now. Add a cup of flour and grab a whisk. Jus’ keep whisking so the flour don’t burn.”

Dean stood at the stove, his back to Benny, and stirred the roux he had cooking. “How long am I supposed to stir this for?”

“Till it’s done.” Benny took a swig of his beer and deadpanned when Dean turned around with raised eyebrows.

“And how do I know when it’s done?” 

“When i’s darker than milk chocolate.” Benny came to peer over Dean’s shoulder into the pan. “Which means you got a long way t’ go, cher.”

Dean sighed and kept stirring. Twenty minutes later he called Benny over. “So this is darker than milk chocolate. Is it done?”

“Yea, not bad for your first roux. Now take dat pan off da heat and fill the mid-sized stock pot ⅔ the way wit’ water and start it heatin’. It’ll boil fo’ a while so jus’ let it go.”

Dean moved the stock pot over to the sink, using the convenient pasta arm to fill the tall pot before moving it to a back burner and turning it on high while Benny was giving the next directions.

“A’ight now, take da roux and scrape it into the water wit’ da flat spoon and stir until it starts dissolving. I’s okay if the oil separates. It’ll be fixed after while.”

Benny watched Dean complete the step and clapped his shoulder when everything was done. “Dean, you a natural, brotha. Go chop up da trinity and gahlic now.”

“The what?”

“Onion, bell peppa, and celery. Cajun trinity. Is the base fo’ a lot of Cajun dishes.”

“Ah, okay. That I can handle.”

“Mhmm. When you finish dat, just add ‘em to da pot wit’ about 5 bay leaves and stir.”

Dean chopped the vegetables and added them to the boiling water, turning and awaiting further instruction from Benny. 

“Sausage next. Slice it up real good an’ add it to tha pot. After dat, we let it cook down a while.” Benny walked out of the kitchen with his beer, settling down in the living room to watch some TV while the gumbo cooked down.

Dean sliced up the sausage and added it to the rolling gumbo base and stirred before grabbing some more beers and going to meet Benny in the living room. He sat next to Benny on the couch and rested his head on Benny’s shoulder. Dean dozed off at some point and woke up to Benny gently shaking with laughter at something on the TV.

“Oh good, you’re awake. Is time t’ work on the gumbo some more.” Benny gets up, collecting the empty beer bottles for recycling and heads to the kitchen, Dean rubbing his eyes but following behind him.

Benny grabbed a tablespoon from the drawer and handed it to Dean. “Taste test time.”

Dean dipped the spoon into the gumbo and tasted it, immediately understanding why they needed onion and garlic powder. He looked at Benny and started grabbing the spices they’d picked up. “How much of each do I put in?”

“Well, I uh...neva measure. I jus’ add until I feel like it’s enough then taste again.” Benny chuckled as he added, “The spirits of mah ancestors whisper “Da’s enough, cher” when it’s right.”

Dean looked at him like he’d grown three heads before he realized it was a joke. He just rolled his eyes and started adding seasonings, always second guessing himself but stopping anyway. It’s easy to add more but you can’t really take out seasonings. Dean tasted it again, seeing it needed a bit more salt and some cayenne pepper. He added the spices then tasted again, offering the spoon to Benny after.

“Damn, Cher. Da’s good. Time to add tha chicken.”

Dean beamed with pride as he moved to the fridge to get the chicken. He added the pieces one at a time, taking care not to splash onto his hands. He stirred the pot as Benny came up behind him and put an arm around his shoulders, words being unnecessary for the love and pride behind the touch.

Dean turned to go to the pantry to get the rice and rice cooker, placing a kiss on Benny’s cheek as he passed. He put the rice cooking and started getting bowls and spoons together. 

“While the rice is cookin’, gotta degrease the gumbo.”

“I’m sorry, I have to what?”

“Degrease. Just turn it on low an’ let the grease rise t’ tha top. Then scoop it out wit’ a spoon.”

“Oh. That’s not so bad.” Dean turned the gumbo on low and got an extra bowl for the grease. As the grease rose to the top, Dean took a tablespoon and scooped it out into the extra bowl. The rice pot clicked off and Dean called out for Benny to come eat.

Dean waited for Benny to take his first bite before digging in himself. It wasn’t quite on par with Benny’s gumbo but it was damn good for a first attempt.

“Cher, I can’t believe dat was your first time making gumbo. Is fantastic.”

Dean just smiled as they ate in silence. This wasn’t his first new experience with Benny. He knew it wouldn’t be the last either.


End file.
